Question

Dr. Digger, a paleontologist, finds a fossil that he describes in his journal.

The creature was approximately 1 meter long, with its backbone fused into a large shell covering the body cavity. It had a beaklike mouth, without teeth, and all four limbs were in the form of flippers.

Based on anatomical similarities, to which modern animal is Dr. Digger’s creature most closely related?
zebra
bony fish
sea turtle
snake

Answer 1

sea turtle

Reason: a fused backbone forming a shell, a beaklike toothless mouth, and flipper limbs are characteristic of turtles—particularly marine turtles.